Alan and Prue Harris are hoping to build on the successes of recent years at their Koole Vale Merino and Poll Merino studs.
They held their first on-property ram sale at Costerfield last year and Mr Harris said they were thrilled eight new clients purchased rams.
Mr Harris said holding their own sale was a dream held since he started Koole Vale stud in 1994.
“My grandfather told me it would take 20 years and it has taken until now to get established,” he said.
The family aims to breed a good-framed, versatile Merino that cuts plenty of white wool of fine-medium medium type that can handle rainfall and keep the dust out. Mr Harris said fertility was also important.
They run about 300 stud ewes and Mr Harris’s parents Lindsay and Marg have a commercial flock.
Mr Harris said in the past few years, new clients had started buying from them, and this included a well-respected local client.
The stud was founded with the purchase of stud ewes from Woolaroo and a ram from Billa Burra Burra. The stud was founded based on Manderley type.
In 1999 Koole Vale bought the top-priced ewes at the Melbourne Ram sale from the Glendonald stud. They have since regularly purchased rams, ewes and semen from Glendonald.
In 2003 started a Poll Merino stud with Glendonald genetics. Since then we have added a ram from Weealla and semen from Woolkabin and East Strathglen.
Mr Harris said roughly a third of the stud flock was now polled.
In recent years, the Harrises have invested in genetics from Glenpaen, Roseville Park and Nyowee Poll stud.
Mr Harris said 20 years of shearing had shown him different wools, sheep bloodlines and managements. Many Koole Vale clients first met Mr Harris when he was shearing.
In recent years, the Koole Vale commercial flock has regularly cut above a 7 kilogram average of wool off their lighter country.
Koole Vale blood wethers consistently place in the top five of heaviest woolcut in the Ovens Valley wether trial.